The PUNCH reports that the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, had on the Monday, April 3, 2023, said bandits kidnapped eight students at Awon, Kachia area of the state.
But the commissioner said Tuesday that the students escaped from the kidnappers den after spending almost 14 days with their captors in a thick forest bordering Kaduna and Niger states.
He said the students trekked for days before arriving at an undisclosed location (name withheld for security reasons) where they were harboured before alerting the state government.
According to him, Governor Nasir El-Rufai on receipt of the intelligence directed the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to liaise with the 1 Division, Nigerian Army, for urgent evacuation of the students to Kaduna Metropolis.
The students, he added, were currently receiving medical attention at a military facility in the metropolis.
The commissioner said, “The eight female students of Government Secondary School, Awon, who were kidnapped by terrorists on Monday, April 3, 2023, in the Awon general area of Kachia LGA – have escaped from the terrorists’ den.
“The students, according to preliminary briefings, escaped from a thick forest around the Kaduna-Niger interstate boundaries, and walked for days before arriving at a location (kept undisclosed for security reasons) where they were harboured. Human intelligence sources subsequently alerted the Kaduna State Government for immediate evacuation.
“The students have been safely evacuated to a military facility where they are presently receiving medical attention.”
He said Governor El-Rufai expressed his delight over the development, and praised the students for demonstrating sheer courage and resilience in making their escape from captivity.
